THE possible sequestration of St Mary’s Hospital in Mariannhill has thrown a dark cloud over the future of the hospital.
The staff and patients have been left in a state of limbo as they await the outcome of a bid, which will take place at the Durban High Court on 31 January, to declare the ailing state-funded hospital bankrupt.
According to Julie Vivier, the fundraising and marketing manager at St Mary’s Hospital, the trustees have been engaged in ongoing discussions with it’s major funder, the Department of Health in KwaZulu-Natal, in an attempt to resolve the situation.
“The institution has been faced with increasingly severe financial difficulties and is currently trading in a position of insolvency,” said Vivier. “An urgent application to sequestrate the Trust will be heard this Friday as the hospital cannot continue to operate under current conditions.”
The hospital, which was established by a group of trappist monks in 1882, currently has 200 beds, offers 24 hour medical care and, according to its website, is believed to serve a population of approximately 1 023 000 people.
This is not the first time that St Mary’s Hospital has neared the brink of closure as in 1998 the facility feared the worst when its budget was cut by about R10 million, a 34 per cent decrease of its then budget. The hospital was downsized from 350 to 200 beds, HIV and TB patients were sent home and 15 staff members were discharged and their positions frozen.
